How to Make a Quick Meal from Costco Pantry Staples

We’ve all been there: It was a Tuesday night, and I had just gotten off a surprise 6:30 p.m. work call. I was totally exhausted (and super hungry!), but my fridge was practically empty and my enthusiasm for cooking was low, to say the least. I sighed, pulled up DoorDash, but then balked at the price of delivery and began to rummage through the pantry.

I stumbled upon a package of Lotus Foods Organic Millet & Brown Rice Ramen—which boldly states they’re “ready in 4 minutes.” Now, these aren’t typical ramen noodles. First, there’s no sodium-packed seasoning packet with them. Second, they’re made with just two ingredients: organic brown rice flour and organic millet, two nutrient-packed whole grains. 

As a Costco devotee, I often pick new products to try, and these noodles had caught my eye on a recent visit. (I’m also a proud noodle girlie and especially excited by their variety of pho, ramen and pasta.) Most of the time, though, I avoid these products because they’re so high in sodium, which is what made the brown rice noodles stand out. 

To make my emergency dinner, I was able to quickly whip up a simple sauce of low-sodium soy sauce, sesame oil and chili crisp while the noodles were boiling. Once the noodles were done, I gave them a quick rinse in cold water, a crucial step to stop the cooking process and prevent sticking. Then I tossed them in the sauce. 

Knowing that, even with 8 grams of protein, noodles alone would likely not leave me satiated until tomorrow morning’s breakfast, I added a bit of avocado oil to the same pot I had boiled the noodles in, cracked in an egg, and cooked it until the yolk was just set (which, if I’m being honest, is a bit difficult to maneuver but does make for a really easy cleanup). I topped the noodles with the egg, sprinkled some toasted sesame seeds from my spice cabinet on top, and dug in. The dish was exactly what I had been craving: tasty and comforting but also good for me, especially when compared to takeout or other processed, quick-fix dinner options. 

Since that night, this noodle dish has become a staple when I don’t feel like cooking or when my meal plan just isn’t feasible. (As someone who loves to cook, I set out for the week with the best intentions: I make a menu for our dinners, do the grocery shopping, prep what I can … but that doesn’t mean things always go exactly to plan.)

I’ve since created many variations of the recipe, depending on what I have on hand. Some frozen broccoli or spinach can easily be added to the boiling water for a minute or two, as can Costco’s Kirkland Signature Stir-Fry Vegetable Blend. If I happen to have one of Costco’s classic $5 rotisserie chickens around, I can add in some of that as well. I’ve also started stashing some ginger in my freezer, and I’ll grate a bit into the sauce to add a slightly sweet, almost citrusy flavor. I’ve even topped the noodles with some chives from my garden, which makes the whole dish look polished.

And while the noodles have a similar texture and shape to ramen noodles, I’ve found that they take well to pasta sauces too. A quick cacio e pepe is easy to pull off: Just add some butter and several cracks of black pepper to a pan while the noodles are cooking. Take them out at the 3-minute mark and rinse them, reserving a bit of cooking water. Then add the noodles and reserved cooking water plus both Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses to the pan. The result is like a mac and cheese for grown-ups, with the added healthy whole grains from the noodles. 

A package of 12 noodle “cakes” is around $9.99 at my local Costco, making each serving about 83 cents. While that’s a smidge more than other packaged ramens, it’s certainly still a budget meal (and a much healthier one, at that!) Plus, it’s much less expensive than an emergency DoorDash delivery—and it’s on the table in the same amount of time as it would take me to place an order.

Even those of us who love to cook and care about what we put on our plates need a break sometimes, which is why I’ve made these noodles a staple in my pantry. Now, when my day gets a bit hectic, or I just don’t feel like cooking, I know I can have a satisfying meal ready in no time.